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dateline: 27 January 2016

Scientists Bringing Zebra Cousin Back From Extinction

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

extinction: the complete loss of a species

selective: related to the choice of the best or most suitable

breeding: the reproduction of animals

reserve: a protected or set area of land used for a particular purpose

A group of scientists just outside Cape Town, are trying to bring a zebra species back from extinction through selective breeding. By studying samples, scientists recently confirmed that the quagga, which went extinct in the late 1800s, was a sub-species of the plains zebra. Compared to the plains zebra, the quagga had stripes on the lower half of its body. It also had a dark brown background. Through five generations of selective breeding, a handful of plains zebras now look similar to the extinct sub-species. The most quagga-like of these zebras will be placed on a separate reserve for breeding. Critics of the project say that the scientists have merely changed the look of the animal, and have not taken into account any behavioural differences or ecological adaptations. The animals in this study have been named Rau Quagga, after Reinhold Rau, one of the .

Comprehension Questions

What did the quagga look like?

Where is this project taking place?

Why are the critics not impressed by this project?

Discussion Questions: How do you feel about this selective breeding project? Do you think that scientists will actually be able to bring back extinct species in the future?

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Scientists Bringing Zebra Cousin Back From Extinction
A group of scientists just outside Cape Town, South Africa are trying to bring a zebra species back from extinction through selective breeding. By studying DNA samples, scientists recently confirmed that the quagga, which went extinct in the late 1800s, was a sub-species of the plains zebra. Compared to the plains zebra, the quagga had fewer stripes on the lower half of its body. It also had a dark brown background. Through five generations of selective breeding, a handful of plains zebras now look similar to the extinct sub-species. The most quagga-like of these zebras will be placed on a separate reserve for further breeding. Critics of the project say that the scientists have merely changed the look of the animal, and have not taken into account any behavioural differences or ecological adaptations. The animals in this study have been named Rau Quagga, after Reinhold Rau, one of the scientists.

Compared to the plains zebra, the quagga had fewer stripes at the back end and had a dark brown background.

This project is taking place just outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

The critics feel that these scientists have merely changed the look of the plains zebra through selective breeding, but have not taken into account any ecological adaptations or behavioural differences.